Key nuclear adviser out

1/30/13 5:00 PM EST

President Obama's top advisor on arms control and weapons of mass destruction is leaving the administration and taking a post at Harvard.

Gary Samore has been appointed head of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the center announced.

Since 2009, he has been the principal adviser to Obama on nonproliferation and has coordinated strategy and programs on everything from stopping Iran's development of nuclear weapons to the securing of nuclear materials around the world. Samore was also the point person on Obama's 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Korea.

The White House did not respond to a message seeking more information about his departure. (See update below.)

National Security chief Tom Donilon said in a Belfer statement that he will help the Belfer Center. “Gary has been the principal architect of the President’s Prague Agenda on nuclear security, arms control and nonproliferation. I’m sure he’ll help advance the Belfer Center’s mission to prepare future generations for leadership on these challenging national security issues.”

UPDATE: White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor responds with this statement: "We love Gary and will miss him.”